LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




Book -33 

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A SKETCH 



G E N . Ati B J^ N E T '!• L E 1' O N 



C^hc S^iiTic ^ociablce of (Shelf en '71^'illo, 



TEUESDAY EVENING, DECEMBEE 17th 1874, 



VND ORDERED TO BE PRINTED FOR THE USE OF THE MEMBERS 



" When the battle's lost and won- 
That will be ere set of sun." 



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-Macbeth . 



PHILADELPHIA: 

M'LAlKiHLIN BROTHERS, BOOK AND JOB PRINTKKS 
112 and lU South Third Street. 

1874. 



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HEN the historian of the year A. D. 2000 shall 
come to record and analyze the military move- 
ments of our recent war of the Rebellion, he will 
probably dwell with especial enthusiasm on two campaigns 
as being at once the most dramatic and illustrious of the 
great conflict — I refer to Sherman's march to the sea, and 
Sheridan's campaign of the Shenandoah valley. Speaking 
of the latter, undoubtedly its central and crowning event 
was the battle of Cedar Creek, fought on the 19th of Octo- 
ber, 1864. As an illustration of the wonderful influence of 
one man over many, and as an example of snatching victory 
from defeat, this action hardly has a parallel in history. 

It will be remembered that in 1864, with Grant and 
Meade and Sheridan in the east, and Sherman and Thomas 
in the west, the Union army closed with the Confederate 
in a final struggle. In August, after Grant with all his avail- 
able force had besieged Richmond and Petersburg, Lee, 
feeling secure behind his fortifications, detached an army 
of thirty thousand picked men, strong with cavalry, under 
General Early, to invade the North by way of the Shenan- 
doah valley, threaten Washington from the rear, and if pos- 
sible compel Grant to retreat from the James, as McClellan 
had been forced to do two years before. 

To checkmate this bold and skilful movement, Grant 
sent Sheridan with two divisions of cavalry and the Sixth 
corps of infantry by transports to Washington, and thence 
by rapid marches to Harper's Ferry and Winchester. Then 

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followed that series of battles and Union victories, which, 
coupled with Sherman's successes in the west, lit up the 
whole horizon, and gave the nation the first real glimpse 
of its final triumph and the coming peace. 

At the time of which I now speak (October 19) we of 
Sheridan's army regarded the fighting of the season as 
about ended. We had defeated Early in two pitched 
battles, had fought and routed his really effective cavalry 
in several engagements, had pursued his army south beyond 
Staunton, and supposed we had thoroughly broken its 
strength and spirit. 

Falling back toward the Potomac, to a point twenty 
miles south of Winchester, where Cedar Creek and the 
North Fork of the Shenandoah form a partial line of defence 
nearly across the valley, Sheridan ordered his army into 
camp on the north side of the streams just named, and him- 
self went to Washington for consultation with Stanton and 
Grant, leaving General Wright of the Sixth corps tempo- 
rarily in command. 

As our army was encamped, facing southward, it pre- 
sented a front of nearly six miles — the infantry in the center, 
protecting its own front with a line of pickets on the river 
bank, Merritt's division of cavalry on the left, Custer's on 
the right, and a strong line of mounted pickets extending 
beyond each flank to the mountains which wall in the valley 
on either side. Directly in front of our center, and across 
the narrow river, rose the bold front of Massanutten moun- 
tain — the northern extremity of a subordinate range extend- 
ing southward from this point, parallel to the Blue Ridge, 
and dividing the Shenandoah valley lengthwise. 

Here we had rested in coinparative quiet several days, 
having the usual day-break skirmish between our pickets 
and the enemy's scouting parties, the usual "grape-vine 
telegrams" announcing a wholesale surrender of the Con- 



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federate army to Grant, the usual wicked jokes about the 
'Miundred-day " gentlemen, who were so eager to get to 
the front and ''smell powder" before their term expired, 
the usual grumbling about rations and the usual alacrity in 
consuming them. 

The 1 8th of October in the Shenandoah valley was 
such a day as few have seen who have not spent an Autumn 
in Virginia; crisp and bright and still in the morning, mel- 
low and golden and still at noon, crimson and glorious and 
still at the sun-setting; just blue enough in the distance to 
soften without obscuring the outline of the mountains — 
just hazy enough to render the atmosphere visible without 
limiting the range of sight. As evening closed above the 
valley, the soft pleadings of some homesick soldier's flute 
floated out through the quiet camp, while around a blazing 
camp-fire an impromptu glee-club of Ohio boys lightened 
the hour and their own hearts by singing the songs of home. 

An unusually large letter-mail arrived that evening, and 
was distributed to the men — which reminds me that the First 
Connecticut Cavalry, belonging to our division, had. a 
unique and pleasant manner of announcing the arrival of a 
. mail : the regimental trumpeters, constituting a sort of cor- 
net band, would form in front of the colonel's tent and 
play ''Home, Sweet Home," sometimes following that im- 
. mediately with "The Girl I Left Behind Me." 

The letters were all read and their contents discussed, 
the flute had ceased its complaining, the eight o'clock roll- 
call was over, taps had sounded, lights were out in the tents, 
the cook-fires flickered low, the mists of the autumn night 
gathered grey and chill, the sentinels paced back and forth 
in front of the various headquarters, the camp was still — 
that many-headed monster, a great army, was asleep. 

Midnight came, and with it no sound but the tramp of 
the relief-guard as the sergeant replaced the tired sentinels ; 



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one o'clock, and all was tranquil as a peace convention ; 
two, three o'clock, and yet the troops slept on. 

At four, the silence was broken by sharp firing in the 
direction of our cavalry pickets, next the western side of the 
valley. The firing increased in volume, suggesting an 
attack in force by cavalry. General Custer (than whom, 
by the way, the wars of the century probably have not de- 
veloped an abler leader of a cavalry division) quietly dis- 
patched a regiment to support our outposts, and awaited 
developments, which speedily came. Fifteen minutes later 
heavy picket firing was heard in front of the infantry, two 
miles from where our cavalry division was encamped. The 
firing on our extreme right gradually died away and that 
in front of the infantry line rapidly increased, showing that 
the movement on our right had been a feint, while the real 
attack had now begun against the center. 

" Boots and saddles " was blown from division, brigade 
and regimental headquarters. The darkness rang with the 
blare of bugles and the shouts of officers hurrying the 
troopers from their dreams to their horses. 

The rattle of musketry in front of the infantry increased 
to heavy volleys, the volleys thickened into a continuous roar, 
and now, as day began to dawn, the deep bass of the artillery 
came in to complete the grand but terrible chorus of battle. 

Our division was speedily mounted and in line by regi- 
ments, awaiting orders. Awaiting orders ! That is the 
time that tries the courage of the bravest. Once in the 
heat, and hurry, and din of the battle, and the average 
soldier forgets fear in the excitement of the hour; but to 
stand at a safe distance, though within easy sight and hear- 
ing of the conflict, ready, expectant, every nerve strung, 
awaiting the word of command to march into the hailstorm 
of death — that is the crucial test. It is at such a time that 
all the mental struggle involved in a soldier's death is under- 



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gone, leaving nothing but the mere physical pang of sudden 
dying to complete the sacrifice. ''Custer's division to the 
center!" was the laconic command from Gen. Wright; and 
as the sun was rising our four thousand troopers, with accom- 
panying batteries, marched into the fight. 

As we came into full view of the field, the whole terrible 
truth flashed upon us — the infantry had been surprised in 
their beds by Early's reinforced army; thousands of our 
men had been killed, wounded or captured, Sheridan's 
victorious and invincible army was routed and in disorderly 
retreat before a confident, yelling and pursuing enemy. 
The roads were crowded with wagons and ambulances 
hurrying to the rear, while the fields were alive with wounded, 
stragglers, camp-followers, and disorganized troops, without 
oflficers, without arms, and without courage — all bent on 
being the first to carry the news of disaster back to Win- 
chester. - 

A brave nucleus of the army, which had not shared in 
the surprise and the consequent demoralization, was fighting 
with determined pluck to prevent disaster from becoming 
disgrace. The timely arrival and the spirited onset of the 
cavalry soon checked the pursuit by the Confederates, and 
gave time for our infantry to begin reforming their lines — 
but the battle and the retreat continued. The enemy 
already occupied the camps where the Sixth corps had slept 
the night before; by nine o'clock our battle line was three 
miles back of our former position, we had lost twenty-two 
pieces of artillery and two thousand prisoners. Our antago- 
nists were pressing their advantage vigorously, and the 
best we hoped for was that our strong cavalry force could 
so protect the retreat to Winchester as to prevent the anni- 
hilation of the army and the exposure of Washington. 

The universal thought, and, in varying phrase, the spon- 
taneous utterance, was *'Oh, for one hour of Sheridan I" 



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The unvarying success that had attended our leader in all 
his campaigns; the instinctive promptness with which he 
seemed to seize the key of every situation however difficult ; 
the amazing quickness and precision with which he formed 
new plans on the field, and his thunderbolt method of exe- 
cuting each design; his success in imparting to his infantry 
much of the mobility and dash of cavalry, and to his cavalry 
much of the coherency and steadiness of infantry — all these 
had combined to give his army unbounded faith in his 
leadership, and enthusiasm for the man. But Sheridan was 
twenty miles away, at Winchester, where he had arrived the 
night before from Washington. 

Meantime the battle roared with unabating fury. The 
sulphurous cloud that overhung the field, and the dense 
volumes of dust that rose behind the wheeling batteries and 
the charging troopers, contrasted grimly with the sweet 
light of that perfect October day as it could be seen beyond 
the limits of the battle-field. 

At this juncture, those of us who were stationed near 
the Winchester pike heard, far to the rear of us, a faint 
cheer go up, as a hurrying horseman passed a group of 
wounded soldiers, and dashed at full speed down that his- 
toric road toward our line of battle. As he drew nearer we 
could see that the coal-black horse was flecked with foam, 
both horse and rider grimed with dust, and the dilated nos- 
trils and laboring breath of the former told of a race both 
long and swift. A moment more and a deafening cheer, 
like a shout of victory, broke from the troops in that part 
of the field, as they recognized in the coming horseman 
their longed-for Sheridan. Above the roar of musketry and 
artillery that shout was hear9 from end to end of both lines 
of battle. The news flashed from brigade to brigade along 
our front with telegraphic speed, and then, as Sheridan, 
cap in hand, dashed along the rear of the struggling line, 



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thus confirming to all eyes the fact of his arrival, a con- 
tinuous cheer burst from the whole army. Hope took the 
place of fear, courage the place of despondency, cheerfulness 
the place of gloom. The entire aspect of things seemed 
changed in a moment ; the retreat instantly stopped ; bri- 
gades falling back to take a new position faced about and 
resumed their place in line ; stragglers picked up the first 
guns they came to and voluntarily rejoined their regiments ; 
order seemed to have come spontaneously out of chaos — 
an army out of a rabble. 

The enemy, believing the continued cheers announced 
the arrival of Federal reinforcements, became more cautious, 
and even threw up temporary breastworks. By one o'clock 
our lines were entirely reformed, and everything indicated 
that we should be able to hold our position without further 
retreat. At two the Confederates, who had ascertained 
that we had received no reinforcements, made a deadly, 
skilful and persistent attack along the whole front, hoping 
to close the day with a final and complete rout of our entire 
army. The attack was repulsed at every point. 

Then Sheridan ordered the cavalry to the right and left 
flanks, and sent the command along the line to prepare for a 
general advance, to close with a grand charge which should 
regain all we had lost. Everything was soon ready; two 
hundred bugles sounded the advance ; all our artillery 
opened on the enemy with shot and shell, and the long line 
of cavalry and infantry moved steadily forward across the 
open plain toward the rebel position — with the coolness of 
a holiday parade. To one who had seen the rout and panic 
and loss of the morning, it seemed impossible that this was 
the same army. 

The enemy was evidently astonished at our taking the 
offensive, but met our attack with confident coolness, and 
then with determined fury. 



As soon as the Confederate infantry was fully engaged 
with ours in the centre, the order was given for the cavalry 
divisions to charge both flanks of the enemy's line. The 
bugles sounded, the horsesxaught the spirit of the hour and 
pressed forward with steady but resistless speed ; six thousand 
troopers with drawn sabres sent up a battle yell wild enough 
to wake the slain over whom we galloped, and — we were in 
the midst of that grandest of martial movements, a genuine 
cavalry charge. 

The effect was magical. The enemy's cavalry first 
made a stout resistance then scattered like sheep to the 
hills ; and his infantry line, having both flanks turned 
back upon itself by our cavalry, and its center crushed by a 
final magnificent charge of our infantry, broke in confusion 
and started southward in confused retreat. Panic seized 
every part of the rebel force ; infantry vied with artillery, 
and both with the wagon trains, in a pell-mell race for the 
river ford, and as the sun went down the army which at 
day-break had gained one of the most dramatic and decisive 
victories of the war, was a frantic mob decimated in num- 
bers and flying before the same army it had so completely 
surprised and defeated. 

Our cavalry pressed the pursuit, making constant cap- 
tures, until the dense darkness prevented, and then our 
troops slept in the camps of the night before, having about 
them, as trophies of the day's work, fifty-two pieces of 
captured artillery, three hundred wagons and three thousand 
prisoners of war. 

This ended the career of Early's army. As an army it 
never fought another battle — its commander never again 
attempted to redeem the Shenandoah valley or to invade 
the North. 

And this is the end of the story of. How the Day was 
Saved ! 



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Up from the South at break of day, 

Bringing to Winchester fresh dismay, 

The affrighted air with a shudder bore, 

Like a herald in haste, to the chieftain's door, 

The terrible grumble and rumble and roar. 

Telling the battle was on once more, 

And Sheridan twenty miles away. 

And wider still those billows of war 

Thundered along the horizon's bar, 

And louder yet into Winchester rolled 

The roar of that red sea uncontrolled. 

Making the blood of the listener cold 

As he thought of the stake in that fiery fray, 

With Sheridan twenty miles away. 

But there is a road from Winchester town, 

A good, broad highway leading down ; 

And there through the flash of the morning light, 

A steed as black as the steeds of night, 

Was seen to pass as with eagle flight. 

As if he knew the terril)le need, 

He stretched away with the utmost speed; 

Hills rose and fell, — but his heart was gay, 

With Sheridan fifteen miles away. 



Under his spurning feet the road 
Like an arrowy Alpine river flowed, 
And the landscape sped away behind 
Like an ocean flying before the wind; 

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And the steed, like a bark fed with furnace ire, 
Swept on with his wild eyes full of fire ; 
But, lo ! he is nearing his heart's desire. 
He is snuffing the smoke of the roaring fray, 
With Sheridan only five miles away. 

The first that the General saw were the groups 

Of stragglers, and then the retreating troops ; 

What was done, — what to do, — a glance told him both. 

And, striking his spurs with a terrible oath. 

He dashed down the line mid a storm of huzzas. 

And the wave of retreat checked its course there because 

The sight of the master compelled it to pause. 

With foam and with dust the black charger was gray. 

By the flash of his eye, and his nostril's play 

He seemed to the whole great army to say, 

" I have brought you Sheridan all the way 

From Winchester, down to save the day ! " 

Hurrah, hurrah for Sheridan ! 

Hurrah, hurrah for horse and man I 

And when their statues are placed on high, 

Under the dome of the Union sky, — 

The American soldier's Temple of Fame, — 

There with the glorious General's name 

Be it said in letters both bold and bright : 

" Here is the steed that saved the day 

By carrying Sheridan into the fight, 

From Winchester, — twenty miles away." 

Thomas Buchanan Read. 



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